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gmamartha's review against another edition
3.0
What does an abduction do to a small town? one preacher's daughter?
stephxsu's review against another edition
4.0
Sara Zarr’s third novel is a triumph, a novel whose gentle pacing and complicated protagonist stole my heart. ONCE WAS LOST is the definition of YA realistic fiction: the characters are flawed, the ending’s not exactly perfect, and the course of the novel has its ups and downs—but together, they create a tale that resonates with you.
Sara Zarr is not afraid to leave you with more questions than you have answers. The protagonist, Sam, goes through problems that seem both unique and yet completely relatable at the same time. The story is about the impact of a kidnapping on a church, but ONCE WAS LOST is more about Sam’s adolescent turmoil of not fitting in and feeling misunderstood and alone than it is about religion. Sam questions her faith, but in the end it’s about her faith in herself and her ability to come out alright in the end—a journey that everyone takes.
Subtly complex supporting characters and stellar writing combine to make ONCE WAS LOST a success. Read it for a thought-provoking time—this one’s going to snatch up the awards.
Sara Zarr is not afraid to leave you with more questions than you have answers. The protagonist, Sam, goes through problems that seem both unique and yet completely relatable at the same time. The story is about the impact of a kidnapping on a church, but ONCE WAS LOST is more about Sam’s adolescent turmoil of not fitting in and feeling misunderstood and alone than it is about religion. Sam questions her faith, but in the end it’s about her faith in herself and her ability to come out alright in the end—a journey that everyone takes.
Subtly complex supporting characters and stellar writing combine to make ONCE WAS LOST a success. Read it for a thought-provoking time—this one’s going to snatch up the awards.
mary00's review against another edition
4.0
This YA novel tackles some heavy subjects (including faith and religion) without being heavy-handed. If you are looking for a light and happy read, this is not the book for you. But if you are looking for a serious, well-written young adult novel - then I would check this out!
sammccu2011's review against another edition
3.0
Once Was Lost left me feeling...wanting. I felt there were many words that went unsaid, and many feelings kept inside. I was waiting for this big confrontation where they would air everything out and begin to work through them. Yea, that didn't happen, or it did and she chose not to include it in the book. Her two best friends are blah character. I don't even know what to say about Erin. I wanna slap her, and the father. I liked the book, but did not love it. It was only a little over 200 pages, and a quick read. The who done it mystery was lacking, and I totally knew who did it the moment the character was introduced.
debbiebarr's review against another edition
5.0
Sara Zarr has an amazing talent for writing authentically from a teenager's perspective. There is something incredibly honest in her work that is rarely seen in teen fiction. Though short, her books always take things from a fresh perspective and her writing is so fluent you'll forget you're reading a book.
cadyly's review against another edition
3.0
This is one of those books that is between categories. Somewhere between a 3-star (ok) and a 4-star (really liked it). I enjoyed it. It gave an interesting perspective. But I think that Sam could have questioned things a bit more. I didn't feel her emotions the way that I thought I should feel the emotions of a girl in her circumstances, even if what she was feeling was numbness. So, the story, while good, and while the read is worthwhile, I just felt that it needed a bit more passion.
trid_for_kicks's review against another edition
5.0
This book is heartbreaking and real and relatable. As someone who has been a teenager, grown up with questions, fear, confusion, this book hits close to home. I loved the main character, her voice, the way she saw and thought and felt, all the things that went unsaid: this is what it's like to be that age, to have problems and to want to fix them, but unable to ask for help because you're old enough to see that the only ones you can ask need help of their own. The narrative sucked me in, made me feel, which is exactly what you want from a book (even if the feeling isn't happy). You felt like you were there, the fear, the confusion, the depression and emptiness from not knowing what to do for too long. This is a book everyone should read, religious or not. Especially if they are a teenager, or going through a hard time. People need to know that feeling like this is real. People shouldn't have to feel that lonely, thinking they're the only one with unsolvable problems in the world. I want to write a book like this.
kelleemoye's review against another edition
4.0
Everyone thinks that Sam's family is perfect- she IS the pastor's daughter. But her life is anything but. Her mom is in rehab after being receiving a DUI and crashing her car. Her dad is being her dad- a pastor; he is realiable and a great listener to everyone but his immediate family. And none of her friends understand how she feels. She just wants to be alone. Not at church, not at youth group, not at her friend's house.
Then, a young girl from town disappears and Sam begins to question her faith even more. With two tragedies circling her, Sam's "perfect" life begins to disappear even more.
In this thought-provoking novel which deals with human weakness, faith and depression, Sara Zarr brilliantly speaks to young adults.
Then, a young girl from town disappears and Sam begins to question her faith even more. With two tragedies circling her, Sam's "perfect" life begins to disappear even more.
In this thought-provoking novel which deals with human weakness, faith and depression, Sara Zarr brilliantly speaks to young adults.
dianametzger's review against another edition
3.0
I love Zarr. I think she tackles a lot of really challenging questions teenagers ask themselves. This book is no exception. I feel like the conflicts of the story themselves overshadow the questioning of religion. A pastor's daughter finding the events in her life making her question religion is a really powerful idea, but I feel like a lot of Zarr's big questions come a bit too late and get neatly tied up. Beyond that complaint, I thought this was a really unbiased look at grappling with religion.